Homemade hygiene. After researching natural allergy remedies, I thought it only fitting to list some all-natural *recipes for homemade whitening toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo & conditioner, and lip balm—they also happen to be really cheap to make!

Homemade Deodorant:

Ingredients:

1/8 cup arrowroot powder (cornstarch has talc in it, but if it isn’t irritating to you, cornstarch can be substituted)

5-10 drops tea tree oil or essential oil of your choice

Homemade Shampoo & Conditioner (No “Poo” Method):

Your typical shampoo contains many toxic chemicals—including: Sodium Lauryl Sulfates, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Mureth Sulfate, derivatives of Lauryl Alcohol and Siloxanes—that can cause nervous system damage and aren’t so tasty for the planet either. For this reason or simply for frugality’s sake, people have gone “Poo-Free” (read more about why), but I’ve never had the gumption to try it simply because I didn’t want to go through the transition process where your scalp adjusts to not having all of its oil removed on a regular basis—that oily feeling would be just too much to handle unless I was camping…and even then I’d probably have a hard time. I personally use Trader Joe’s Organic Tea Tree Shampoo & Conditioner, but if you do want to try saving a little cash and making an organic, all-natural shampoo or conditioner the recipe is pretty simple. I might try it this summer…anyone game for a challenge?

Conditioner: apple cider vinegar balances the hair’s pH level, adds shine, and removes buildup—some people use lemon juice because it does similar job but has a fresher scent. Coconut oil/olive oil can be used once a week as a deep conditioner.

Ingredients (Shampoo & Conditioner):

1-2 Tbsp baking soda

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is best) or lemon juice

water to dilute

essential oils – optional

dried crushed rosemary (for dandruff/dry scalp) – optional

extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil (put on tips of hair once per week and wash out for deep conditioning) – optional

Homemade Lip Balm:

2 Tbsp beeswax (about 1 oz) – some people complain that beeswax dries out there lips, so lanolin (an oil secreted by wool-bearing animals to protect their coats from water) is a great substitute

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 Tablespoons shea butter

12 lip balm containers

honey (optional)

vitamin E

Directions:

Melt beeswax in a small pan or crockpot over low heat. Add coconut oil and shea butter until all ingredients a melted. Add a few drops essential oil if desired. I did not use any essential oil and it is smells wonderfully like honey!

Using a small medicinal dropper, pour the melted liquid into your lip balm containers. Add a few extra drops to the top after filling each container as the ingredients will shrink as they cool.

Cool completely to harden. Cover with cap and decorate or label as desired.

I realize I could’ve made this resource list of tutorials into 4 separate posts, but I like to have things all in one place if possible, so excuse the length, but hope its helpful and happy experimenting!

UPDATE:

A few of you have asked if I have tried these recipes out personally. The answer is no. I haven’t tried these specific recipes myself, but I have tried my own variations in my own experimenting but never followed a recipe. These recipes were just the most popular for each hygiene product that I could find, so let me know if they work for you! I’m going to be trying out the deodorant recipe soon and I’ll let you know how I like it. Currently, I am perfectly happy with the hygiene products that I use: Eco-Dent for toothpaste, coconut oil for lip balm/deodorant/lotion, and Trader Joe’s shampoo/conditioner, but I like to put these posts up for my benefit as well as yours as I’m learning more about a topic. Once I’ve created a post with all of the links/resources I want for that subject, I can go back to it if I need to without having to sort through all of my saved bookmarks! So for any of you that want to try something new that’s cheap and healthy, give one a try and let me know how it works for you—luckily none of these experiments will break the bank!

I did the baking soda and water No-poo this morning. hoping to see a difference in a few weeks. Just waiting to get the Apple Cider Vinegar to condition my hair. Hoping these cut down on my frizzy hair.

Did the baking soda shampoo with the vinegar conditioner separate for after I shampoo- works great! Did the baking soda coconut oil deodorant with tea tree as my oil of choice- works great too! Its so cheap, easy, and I don’t get nauseated from overpowering, chemically created, ‘floral’ scents that are in the mainstream shampoos and conditioners, or even some deodorants. With my home-made shampoo my hair doesn’t get greasy at all, and it doesn’t make my scalp itchy like some products do.

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